Nakkalism
Nakkalism Nakkalism, or the Nakkalite faith, is the primary religion of the Indissians. It is a monotheistic religion, although it does have a small pantheon of powerful angels. It is based on the teachings of a multitude of prophets, whose writings were compiled in the in the Qeshima, the holy book of the religion. Their one God is named Nakkal. Nakkal is an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving God who is completely disconnected not only from our material universe but from our linear perception of time - Nakkal exists in every moment in time at once. He has the ability to do anything, but places restrictions on himself, for example he will not interfere in the free will of any organism. Nakkalism promotes justice, fairness and loyalty (to the family and the realm). It is generally opposed to democracy, but does not wholly reject it. Nakkalism rejects recreational drugs and is extremely opposed to premarital and extramarital sex. Like Elveta, Nakkalism believes that adulterers deserve the death penalty and that adultery is an extremely severe sin and one of the worst. Nakkalites believe in five realms, which are as follows: * '''The Infinite Palace '''is the home of Nakkal and the Angels. It is connected to, but not part of, Heaven. * '''Heaven '''is where the faithful go after they die to experience eternal joy. Nakkal and the Angels routinely visit Heaven but do not live in it. * '''The Overworld '''is the material universe in which we live. * '''The Underworld '''is the transitional state where souls go immediately after they die, awaiting judgement by Nakkal and the Angels. The faithless who have not properly converted to Nakkalism eternally stay here after they die. It is pleasant, although not at all close to the infinite eternal joy found in Heaven. * '''Oblivion '''is where unrepentant sinners go after they die to experience eternal punishment, with the severity of their punishment depending on the severity of their sins. It is also where the fallen Angel Qamiza was cast down to, and he made Oblivion his personal realm. There is, in a sense, a sixth realm, although it is usually considered an extension of Oblivion. This realm is usually referred to as "the Dark Path", and it is a treacherous road through a dark land of demons which deceased souls must pass through in order to reach the Underworld. These souls are guided by Amaal, the Angel of Death. All Nakkalites over the age of 18 are given the Mark of Nakkal, which is five concentric circles cut in two by a straight line. The mark is carved with a special kind of knife into the shoulder of whichever arm is dominant. The five circles represent the five realms, and the line going down the middle represents Nakkal joining them all together. Most modern Nakkalites have this represented with a tattoo, which is viewed somewhat negatively by purists but widely accepted as it is simply a less painful and more practical way of portraying the same thing. New converts or Nakkalites who reach 18 are also baptised in water, which represents their sins being washed away. Angels The Angels are the divine servants of Nakkal, who act out Nakkal's will in the Overworld when direct action needs to be taken, or when a message needs to be relayed to the mortals, as Nakkal in his raw form is simply too powerful and terrifying for mortals in the Overworld. Each Angel specialises in a specific task. The degree to which the Angels are autonomous and powerful differs between the two main branches of the Nakkalite faith; the Allisians believe the Angels to almost be deities in their own right, created with inherent power and wisdom, but the Enaqqians believe the Angels derive all their power and authority from Nakkal and were not born with these gifts. Some Enaqqians even go as far as to say the Angels do not have free will. The Angels are referred to as male and have masculine names, but they are all androgynous and hermaphroditic. They also possess violet irides and white feathered wings, and have pale skin. Their image is very different from the local people and was likely inspired by some kind of Elfkin, possibly a long-dead species with powerful magic that lived during the Age of Titans. For this reason, some scholars theorise that the religion is based off a very ancient ruling class of extremely powerful Elfkin who were viewed as deities. Besides the seven primary Angels, there is also a lower class of Angels named the Guardians. Each mortal has a Guardian assigned to them who protects their spirit against the forces of evil. Guardians are inherited from one's parents; as a new person is born from their mother, so their Guardian is born from the Guardians of the mother and father. Guardians do not have names. Like in Elvetan tradition with their patron deities, Nakkalites usually choose a patron Angel whom they need special assistance from. The seven Angels are as follows, in order of age: * '''Jayiza '''the Lord of Angels - Jayiza is the oldest and wisest of the Angels. He is the ruler of the Angels and Guardians, and serves as a guide for mortal rulers in the Overworld. * '''Ashura '''the Commander - Ashura is the second-oldest of the Angels. Ashura is the military leader of all the Angels and Guardians, leading the fight against the forces of evil, and it was he that defeated Qamiza. Ashura also aids good warriors in the Overworld in their battles, but will not help the wicked. * '''Amaal '''the Angel of Death - Amaal is the Angel that takes the dead from the Overworld and guides them safely through the Dark Path. Amaal is a psychopomp; he has no influence over how a person dies, but he is responsible for taking the dead from the Overworld to the afterlife. Unlike the other Angels, Amaal is depicted as a skeleton, but retaining the white feathered wings typical of the Angels. * '''Sura '''the Doctor - Sura aids the sick and the wounded, and guides the hands of doctors in the Overworld. * '''Sadhir '''the Messenger - Sadhir is the primary messenger of Nakkal, the Angel who most commonly speaks to mortals in the Overworld, although on occasion other Angels do come to the Overworld to commune with the mortals. * '''Resir '''the Scribe - Resir is the scribe of Nakkal, keeping records of every event that has ever occured and ever will occur, and he guided the authors of the Qeshima, the holy scripture. Resir also guides those reading the Qeshima and seeking to understand it. * '''Qamiza '''the Fallen - Qamiza is the youngest and most rebellious of the Angels. When the material universe was created, Qamiza desired dominion over the mortals, and rebelled against Nakkal. He was subsequently defeated by Ashura the Commander and struck down into Oblivion, where he will reside forever, but although his physical form is condemned to another realm, his spirit is still able to wreak havoc upon the Overworld. Qamiza's influence is considered the root of all evil. Due to his fallen nature, Qamiza is usually depicted with grey skin, and either black or grey eyes and wings. Relation to Abrahamic Faiths The similarity of the Nakkalite faith to the Abrahamic faiths, particularly Judaism and Christianity, has not gone unnoticed by scholars. In particular, the similarity of Ahsura to Michael, Sura to Raphael, Resir to Metatron and Qamiza to Satan, as well as the whole concept of Angels and Guardians is striking. Some have also made a link between Sadhir and Hermes, the Greek messenger of the Gods, but this similarity is largely considered to be coincidental amongst scholars. A popular theory amongst historians suggests that, somehow, Nakkalism originated in the Abrahamic tradition and over time (being isolated from the other Abrahamic groups in the Western Desert) developed distinct beliefs and traditions, but it is entirely unclear how exactly this tradition spread to the Western Desert. Critics of this idea argue that due to the presence of the Great Shield, Abrahamic religion must have spread to the Western Desert approximately 20 thousand years before Christ, which simply could not have happened. Some Christian scholars have suggested that some Angels did commune with the ancient Qaateenis, but they misinterpreted the messages and founded a corrupted faith off of this. The majority of Christians believe this view to be false, as they argue God would not have sent Angels to people he knew would later deviate from the truth. Allisi vs Enaqqi Nakkalism is split in between the two branches of Allisi and Enaqqi, mainly over the legitimacy of the writings of the prophet Amekiza. The Allisians accept Amekiza's writings in the Qeshima as fact, but the Enaqqians reject his teachings on the grounds that Amekiza was not known for his integrity, and that the content found in Amekiza's writings appears nowhere else in the Qeshima. The prophet Amekiza mainly wrote about the Angels and their power. He maintains that the Angels are powerful in their own right and could be considered "sub-deities", having significant autonomy but ultimately being loyal to Nakkal. The Allisians embrace this stance, and sometimes even make minor sacrifices to certain Angels depending upon the circumstances. The Enaqqians, who reject Amekiza's writings, maintain that the Angels take all their power from Nakkal and would be weak and helpless on their own, and are merely servants and tools of Nakkal. Enaqqians may ask Angels to pray for them but never make sacrifices to them, believing that this would not only be useless but also a betrayal to Nakkal. Another split between Allisians and Enaqqians is that Allisians believe Heaven and The Infinite Palace are separate, whereas Enaqqians believe that The Infinite Palace is a place within Heaven and the two are not separate. Enaqqians used to make up approximately half the Nakkalite population, being centred on the northern city of Akkanuria, but it slowly declined, becoming less than a quarter by 1600 and less than 10% today. Enaqqians and Allisians are mostly tolerant of each other in modern times but historically there was a lot of violent conflict between the two, often exploited by opportunistic men seeking power. Mystics The Nakkalite Mystics are a cult-like sect mainly based in Qaateen (as such they are also known as the Qaateeni Mystics). They practice an esoteric, almost shamanistic form of the faith. Most rituals are a closely guarded secret and there is a great deal of mystery involved, and unlike other Nakkalites their services are barred to the general public. What is known is that most of their religious services are done under the influence of cannabis or psychedelic drugs, and it is believed that the priests that lead the services are able to summon the real presence of Nakkal. Supposedly sometimes Angels possess the priest and speak directly through him. The Mystics often engage in "spiritual healing", which - ignoring for the moment what the Mystics believe actually happens - consists of a priest waving their arms and chanting prayers at a patient who is under the influence of drugs. The Nakkalite Order The Nakkalite Order, as it is called in English, is the religious institution of Nakkalism. The priests are split into four ranks. Priests can only be males over the age of 18. If they commit any crime or serious sin, they are banished from the Order. Priests can serve for life if they wish but can retire at any time. Initiate Initiates are new recruits to the Nakkalite Order. They are continuously and rigorously trained until they are deemed to be ready by the Qan-Achmera training them (Initiates train in classes of nine). This usually takes around four years. Initiates cannot lead religious services but they routinely assist in them. Achmera The Achmerae (English plural of Achmera, literally "priest") are basic priests of the Nakkalite Order who have graduated from the Initiate rank. They lead small religious services, normally in rural regions, although maybe once a year they will be trusted with more significant religious services. They are able to convert heathens to Allisi by baptising them in saltwater and cutting the Mark of Nakkal. They are also able to take confession from sinners who wish to repent. Qan-Achmera The Qan-Achmerae (English plural of Qan-Achmera, literally "great priest") are higher priests who have served usually for 8-11 years. If two Qan-Achmerae nominate an Achmera to be promoted, a Holy Councillor will review the Achmera, and if approved, he will be promoted to Qan-Achmera. Qan-Achmerae lead major religious services and mentor Initiates. They are able to convert heathens and take confession from sinners who wish to repent. Holy Councillor The Holy Councillors are priests who serve on the Holy Council. They are appointed by the Holy Council, who, when a Holy Councillor resigns or dies, spend around 3 months compiling a shortlist of the most gifted Qan-Achmerae, and after much debate and many rounds of voting, the new Holy Councillor is chosen. Holy Councillors lead the most significant religious services, and they also have the power to convert heathens and take confession, but in practice they only do this for government officials. They also obviously fulfil a political role as the upper house of the Indissian theocratic republic. In rare circumstances, Holy Councillors may be promoted directly from Achmerae.